Navigating through a maze of tasks, reports, and requirements can overwhelm even the most experienced grant managers. The post-award stage of grant management is where the rubber meets the road, requiring meticulous attention to detail and effective resource management.
Thankfully, there are supportive software options that can serve as a guiding light on this journey, helping nonprofit grant professionals streamline processes and maximize impact.
In this article, we’re going to explore the top software options to help you with post-award grant management. We’ll dive into the intricacies of this crucial phase of the grant lifecycle, shedding light on why it poses significant challenges and why getting it right is so important.
So, stick with us as we unveil our top picks and empower grant professionals—like you!—to choose the post-award grant management software solutions that best fit their needs. Let’s go!
What Is Post Award Grant Administration?
Grant management encompasses a broad lifecycle of activities aimed at securing, implementing, and reporting on funding awards.
Within this lifecycle, post-award grant administration takes center stage as the phase where awarded funds are actively managed to ensure compliance, accountability, and successful project implementation. It’s a critical aspect of grant management, focusing on the effective utilization of resources once the grant has been awarded.
Here are some key components of post-award grant administration:
Implementing the Grant: Translating grant objectives into actionable plans, including project timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
Task Tracking: Monitoring and managing project tasks to ensure timely completion and adherence to grant requirements.
Monitoring Expenses: Tracking and documenting expenditures to ensure funds are used in accordance with grant guidelines and budget allocations.
Reporting Progress: Providing regular reports to grantors on project progress, achievements, challenges and financial status.
Billing: Submitting invoices to grantors for reimbursement of eligible project expenses, following specified billing procedures.
Document Storage: Organizing and maintaining records, including financial documents, contracts, progress reports, and correspondence related to the grant.
Completing the Closeout Process: Finalizing all grant-related activities, submitting final reports, and ensuring compliance with grant terms and conditions before project closure.
In essence, post-award grant administration involves the meticulous management of resources, compliance with grant regulations, and effective communication with stakeholders to achieve project goals and fulfill grant obligations.
It’s a dynamic process that requires attention to detail, organizational skills, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.
As a grant professional, I have often felt overwhelmed by the complexity of managing multiple grant awards at once. I’ve found myself thinking, “I need a better system!” more times than I can count.
This is exactly why a dedicated post-award grant management software is so important! The right software can alleviate these challenges and streamline your processes, not only boosting your efficiency but reducing the burden on you and your team as well. It’s a win-win situation!
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How We Chose the Best Post-Award Management Software
In our search for the best post-award grant management software, we carefully reviewed various platforms. Our focus was on ensuring that the software we chose offered comprehensive features, easy-to-use interfaces, flexible pricing options, and high customer satisfaction.
Let’s dive into these criteria in more detail.
Post Award Management Features
There are a few crucial features that a software should include to ensure successful post-award grant management:
Robust financial tracking capabilities
Comprehensive reporting tools
Task management functionalities
Secure document storage options
Integrated compliance monitoring mechanisms
These features should ensure that you can effectively manage resources, track progress, maintain transparency, and adhere to grant requirements throughout the project lifecycle.
User Experience
User experience plays a pivotal role in the adoption and effectiveness of post-award management software. A user-friendly interface enhances efficiency by reducing the learning curve and streamlining navigation.
Beyond interface design, user experience encompasses factors such as:
Responsiveness
Customization options
Accessibility
Technical support
A positive user experience fosters greater user engagement, increases productivity, and maximizes the software’s utility in improving grant management efficiency.
Pricing Options
Finding a post-award grant management software that is a good fit for you and your organization depends on a lot of factors, one of which is the cost.
Smaller organizations with limited budgets and only a few grant awards each year may benefit from a software that offers flexible pricing plans or tiered subscription models with fewer and more basic features.
Conversely, larger organizations with extensive grant portfolios and larger teams may prioritize scalability and advanced features over price. These organizations will need a tool that multiple users can access at once and offers more comprehensive and robust features.
Understanding the specific needs and resources of your organization is essential for selecting the right solution for your nonprofit.
Customer Satisfaction
To assess customer satisfaction, we conducted an in-depth analysis of customer reviews and testimonials sourced from various platforms, including websites, social media pages, and industry forums.
If you’re interested in learning more about customer satisfaction with these software solutions, we recommend exploring review sites such as Capterra, G2, or TrustRadius.
The 5 Best Post Award Management Software for Your Nonprofit
While we’re confident in recommending Instrumentl as a top choice for post-award management, we acknowledge that it may not suit every nonprofit’s needs, particularly considering its premium price point.
Our commitment to providing unbiased suggestions remains steadfast, ensuring you have the most comprehensive information possible. Below, you’ll find a curated list of the five best post-award grant management software options for nonprofits. Each selection offers unique features and benefits, catering to diverse organizational needs and requirements.
Let’s explore these options to find the perfect fit for your needs.
Instrumentl: Best for All-in-One Grant Management
Let’s begin by introducing Instrumentl, our number-one choice for an all-in-one grant management solution. While we acknowledge our inherent bias, we have strong reasons to support why our platform stands out above the rest.
Pros: Boasting robust post-award management functions such as document storage, reporting, and budget tracking, Instrumentl is the most comprehensive resource available for grant professionals, continually expanding to meet the evolving needs of the industry.
Here’s a quick overview of some of our top features for post-award management:
The “Awards” tab within Instrumentl’s grant tracker helps you and your team manage your grant payments as they come in. The “Awards” tab shows you:
Total Amount Awarded
Spenddown Tracking
Payments Received
Funder Types
Next Report Due Date
Outstanding Tasks
Having all of this information on one screen will allow you and your team to easily stay on top of your goals, upcoming deadlines, and to-do lists. But this isn’t all that Instrumentl offers!
If you click into one of your awarded grants from the “Awards” tab, you can drill down into even more detail. You’ll be able to see that specific grants’:
Submission Date
Amount Requested
Date Notified
Start of Grant Period
End of Grant Period
Amount Awarded
Payments Received
You can also upload your full proposal and award letter to this page so that all your documents are saved and easily accessible in one location!
You can also create tasks and assign them to your team, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and can collaborate seamlessly.
Instrumentl has also garnered excellent reviews from users for its comprehensive features and user-friendly interface. Users praise its intuitive design, robust functionality, and responsive customer service. Additionally, Instrumentl’s platform offers seamless integration with various tools, enhancing efficiency and workflow management for grant professionals.
Cons: One potential drawback of Instrumentl is its premium price point, which may be prohibitive for some organizations with limited budgets. Additionally, while Instrumentl offers integration with many tools, it may not yet have specific integrations that some organizations require.
Bottom Line: As we said in the beginning, we are super confident in recommending Instrumentl as the best post-award grant management tool available for grant professionals. But here’s the thing—Instrumentl can help you with the entire grant lifecycle, not just the post-award phase! Having one tool in your pocket that can support prospect research, application development, and post-award management means that you and your team can level-up your fundraising efforts and maximize your time to raise more money for your organization. Great news, right?
GrantHub Pro: Best for Task Tracking
Pros:GrantHub stands out for its exceptional capabilities in post-award grant management, particularly in task tracking.
The platform’s intuitive task management interface allows you to easily assign, track, and prioritize your post-award tasks, which enables you to effectively coordinate projects with your team. GrantHub’s robust features, including automated reminders and notifications, play a pivotal role in ensuring that grant managers and their teams remain vigilant about deadlines and avoid overlooking important tasks.
GrantHub also allows users to easily access detailed information about each awarded grant, including budget allocations, funding sources, and expenditure tracking.
Cons: One potential downside to GrantHub is its limited reporting functionalities as compared to some other post-award grant management tools. While it offers basic reporting features, some users may find the reports lacking in depth and customization options. Additionally, GrantHub’s pricing structure may not be the most cost-effective for organizations with smaller budgets or fewer grant management needs.
Bottom Line: GrantHub stands out as an excellent choice for organizations seeking robust task tracking capabilities in their grant management software. Its intuitive interface and automated reminders make it easy for grant professionals to stay organized and on-track with project deadlines. However, organizations requiring advanced reporting features or cost-effective pricing options may want to explore alternative solutions. Overall, GrantHub offers valuable task management functionalities tailored to the needs of grant professionals.
Amplifund: Best for Federal Grant Management
Pros: Amplifund receives high praise for its comprehensive functionality, with features including:
Post-award tracking
Budget management
Reporting and compliance
Task management
Document management
The robust features within Amplifund make this tool a great choice for nonprofits managing federal grant awards. Users commend its ability to centralize grant-related information, streamline reporting processes, and enhance collaboration among team members. Additionally, Amplifund’s customizable dashboard provides real-time insights into grant performance and expenditure tracking. Its responsive customer support also earns accolades from users, who appreciate prompt assistance and knowledgeable guidance in resolving issues.
Cons: While Amplifund boasts numerous strengths, some users may find this platform lacking in a few areas. Users report a steep learning curve in adopting the platform and learning to use it, particularly if they are new to grant management softwares. Additionally, this tool has limitations in customization options, meaning that some users may need to continue to rely on other tools for their unique grant management needs.
Bottom Line: Despite any potential drawbacks, Amplifund emerges as a leading solution for post-award grant management, offering a combination of powerful features and responsive customer support. These features make it a valuable asset for many organizations seeking to optimize their grant management processes.
Sage Intacct: Best for Accounting
Pros: Sage Intacct garners praise for its robust functionality and user-friendly interface. Users appreciate its comprehensive financial management capabilities, including:
Budgeting
Forecasting
Financial reporting
Additionally, Sage Intacct’s seamless integration with other software systems enhance its efficiency and data accuracy. Users also highlight its scalability, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes and complexities.
Cons: Despite its strengths, Sage Intacct has a few limitations. Users mention challenges with the initial implementation process, including data migration and system setup. Additionally, there is reportedly a steep learning curve for users transitioning from other accounting systems. Lastly, while this platform offers robust financial management features, users find its pricing structure to be on the higher end compared to other solutions, meaning it may not be a good fit for organizations with limited budgets.
Bottom Line: Overall, Sage Intacct emerges as a powerful tool for grant management, offering comprehensive financial management capabilities and seamless integration with other software systems. Despite potential challenges in implementation and pricing, its scalability and user-friendly interface make it a valuable tool for organizations who are seeking to optimize their post-award grant management processes.
Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT: Best for Spending Compliance
Pros: Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT excels in ensuring spending compliance throughout the post-award grant management process. Users also praise this platform for its robust financial management features and comprehensive reporting capabilities. Users commend its ability to streamline:
Budgeting
Expense tracking
Financial reporting processes
Additionally, this tool offers seamless integration with other Blackbaud products, such as Raiser’s Edge, which provides organizations with a unified platform for donor management and financial administration.
As an FYI, Instrumentl also integrates with Blackbaud’s CRM tool, Raiser’s Edge!
Cons: Users mention challenges with Blackbaud’s interface, citing a steep learning curve for new users as well as occasional system glitches that cause downtime. Users also report encountering difficulties in customizing reports for funders and stakeholders. Lastly, pricing options for this software are on the steep side, particularly for smaller organizations with limited budgets and smaller grant portfolios.
Bottom Line: Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT is a formidable tool for post-award grant management, boasting a robust suite of features and seamless integration capabilities. Despite potential challenges in user interface and pricing, this tool’s ability to ensure spending compliance and drive efficiency make it a solid choice.
Gems: Best for Small Organizations
Pros: Gems stands out as a great option for small organizations. Gems offers essential functionalities such as:
Application tracking
Reporting
Compliance management
Users compliment its simplicity and affordability, making it accessible to organizations with limited resources. With tools focused on grant tracking, budget management, document storage, and grant reporting, this “small but mighty” tool allows small organizations to effectively manage grants with a price tag that won’t break the bank. Additionally, its user-friendly interface means that this tool is easy to use so your entire team can utilize it regardless of their level of tech-savviness.
Cons: While Gems excels in catering to the needs of small organizations, users have identified some limitations with this tool. For example, Gems may lack the advanced features or customization options found in more comprehensive (and expensive) solutions. Gems also lacks the responsive customer support of some of its competitors, meaning it will take you longer to get answers when you have questions about this tool. Lastly, users find that this platform lacks scalability as their nonprofits (and their grant portfolios) grow and require more advanced functionalities.
Bottom Line: Overall, Gems emerges as an excellent choice for smaller organizations that are seeking an affordable post-award grant management software. Its simplicity and accessibility make it a valuable asset. However, its limitations in advanced features, scalability, and customer service mean that it may not be the best fit for all nonprofits.
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Final Thoughts: Best Software for Post-Award Grant Management
Overall, post-award grant management is a substantial part of the grant lifecycle that should not be overlooked. Effective management during this phase ensures compliance, accountability, and optimal utilization of grant funds, ultimately driving long-term impact and sustainability for your organization.
Among the myriad of post-award management software options, Instrumentl stands out as a premier choice. Offering a comprehensive suite of features, an intuitive interface, and seamless integration capabilities, Instrumentl covers all bases for effective post-award grant management. It's all-in-one solution not only streamlines the post-award management process but also supports the entire grant lifecycle, catering to the needs of both nonprofits and consultants alike.
Ready to experience the transformative power of Instrumentl? Sign up for a free trial or schedule a demo today, and unlock the potential to elevate your grant management efforts to new heights. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to optimize your grant processes and drive greater impact with Instrumentl.
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